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Ratchet: Deadlocked
Ratchet: Deadlocked, titled as Ratchet: Gladiator in Europe and Australia, and Ratchet & Clank 4th: GiriGiri Ginga no Giga Battle in Japan, is an action/shooter game that is the fourth in the Ratchet & Clank series. This game features many upgrades from its predecessor, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal. It was released on October 25, 2005 in North America. Modes The game includes many of the same modes of gameplay as Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal such as online games with nine other people (ten people max to a game), and many of the same weapons. New modes and attributes include co-op gameplay in single player mode (better named, "story mode" now), and newer, more devastating vehicles. Also, the addition of a vastly more RPG style in the form of custom armor and weapons. Multi-player The online mode features five modes: A completely revamped version of Up Your Arsenal's "Siege" (in which players captured nodes and attacked the enemy base) called Conquest. This new mode features nodes which players must capture and vote upon upgrades to sustain their lead. Points are awarded for taking and defending nodes as well as several kill variations (Sharp shooter for a sniper kill, road kill for running over an enemy, and a Humiliation kill for defeating a foe with the series trademark default weapon the wrench). Other modes are classic multiplayer modes such as Capture the Flag (CTF), Deathmatch (Team Deathmatch is also part of this), King of the Hill, and Juggernaut. The losing players or teams have their Deadlock Collars detonated. Each mode is changed to fit with the Ratchet & Clank universe, but still retain their main objectives and play styles. The online multiplayer is still highly popular, with hundreds of players logging on each day. Insomniac has removed Ratchet's sidekick, Clank, as a playable character. In addition, many of the platforming elements from the previous games, including gadget-based puzzles, have been removed. The second mode of multiplayer is local play which enbles up to 4 players with the use of a multitap to play against each other. Unlike the first game, local play only lets you choose from 4 colors instead of 8, and has all the options of online play, except you don't have your name floating above your head, so you instead Player 1, Player 2, Player 3 and Player 4. Also, the screen is split up to be shared with 3 other players. Story Heroes from all over the galaxy have been kidnapped, and some of them were turning up dead. The captured heroes have been forced to, regardless of whether they wanted to or not, compete on the leading Holo-Vision program in the criminal Shadow Sector of the Solana galaxy: DreadZone, the brainchild of the media magnate Gleeman Vox, which was watched by trillions of sentient beings throughout the sector. It featured illegal, uncensored, gladiatorial combat to the death, with the former hero Ace Hardlight as its uncontested and undefeated champion. Regardless of whether he liked it or not, Ratchet was forced into becoming the newest contestant on DreadZone. Ratchet, to everyone's surprise was eventually able to defeat every exterminator, including Ace Hardlight. Ratchet became the grand champion of DreadZone. Gleeman Vox offered Ratchet a huge deal to make Ratchet head of the Exterminators and to make Ratchet-related products. Ratchet turned it down. Then later, Clank and Al reprogramed the DreadZone shuttle to take Ratchet to the control level. Ratchet destroyed the containment fields, freed all the heroes and defeated Gleeman Vox himself. Vox then set the station to self-destruct, as part of a plan to have Ratchet and Vox to die together on live Holo-Vision, giving Vox the best ratings he had ever had, but at the last second, Clank brought a ship that rescued Ratchet. Ratchet first rescued Slugha and left Vox to die alone, when the DreadZone station blew up with only Vox left in it. Gameplay The gameplay of Ratchet: Deadlocked is similar to that of previous Ratchet & Clank games, with a combination of shooting, action, and platforming, although it focuses more on shooter aspects of the series, with very little platforming. Deadlocked was the first game in the Ratchet and Clank series to have an adjustable difficulty level, and is also the first to have a cooperative story mode with two players. The player controls Ratchet from a third-person perspective, competing in missions and tournaments, defeating enemies, or occasionally controlling vehicles. "Combat Bots", two robots which follow the player in most missions, give Ratchet extra firepower, and perform several tasks for him, such as planting explosives. Combat bots can be upgraded and given new paint schemes, head designs, and weapons. After completing missions, the player is awarded a certain amount of "Dreadpoints" and bolts, the game's form of currency. Bolts can also be picked up from defeated enemies, or found in hidden "Jackpot" crates. There are ten weapons in Deadlocked, lower than most other games in the series. Weapons can be modified using a large range of "Alpha" and "Omega" mods, which improve weapon abilities. Alpha mods improve statistics such as rate-of-fire and ammunition capacity, while Omega mods add a secondary effect to weapons, such as napalm, or the ability to freeze enemies.1 As the player progresses, more weapons and mods become available, such as the "Arbiter", a rocket launcher, and the "Magma Cannon", a shotgun-like weapon. Weapons and mods are bought from vendors, which also sell ammunition, using bolts. As weapons gain experience, they will upgrade to more powerful versions, to a maximum of level 10 (further upgrades, however, can still be bought in "challenge mode"). The game's health system, Nanotech, can also be upgraded through experience. Whenever the player takes damage, it can be partially restored by breaking nanotech crates. Clank, Ratchet's robotic best friend, is no longer a playable character, neither can he be used as a jet-pack device by Ratchet. Instead, he acts as mission control, giving the player advice during gameplay. A skin for a second player in cooperative mode, however, named "Alpha Clank", can be used. In cooperative mode, the second player takes the place of the combat bots. The Bot's gadgets can be used by the players instead, when necessary. Players in cooperative mode must share weapons and ammunition supply, and as a result, both players cannot use the same weapon at the same time. There are four playable vehicles throughout Deadlocked.1 The "Hovership", a laser equipped aircraft, the "Puma", a type of armored car, and the "Landstalker", essentially a large platform with four spider-like mechanical legs and weapons, can all be used by two players simultaneously at any time. The "Hoverbike", a hovering vehicle used for both racing and combat, can only be used by one player. After completing the game, the player may choose to enter "challenge mode". In challenge mode, weapons can be upgraded further, more mods can be purchased, and additional "Extras" are made available. The game also features online and local multiplayer modes. Up to four players may play locally in offline multiplayer matches. The online mode supports a USB Keyboard and a USB Headset, and all levels from single player are available in multiplayer. Players can play in "Conquest" mode, in which teams try to capture territory, "Deathmatch" mode, where players gain points by killing each other, "Capture the Flag" mode, where up to four teams attempt to capture their oppponent's flags, "King of the Hill" mode, where players gain points by staying in a holographic circle, and "Juggernaut" mode, similar to deathmatch, but where one player has vastly improved abilities. Characters * Alvaro, Juanita * Aquagirl * Big Al * Clank * Eviscerator * Green * Hardlight, Ace * Kid Nova * Merc * Ratchet * Reactor * Sasha * Shellshock * Vox, Gleeman * Wanamaker, Dallas Bosses * King Leviathan (Mini-boss) * Shellshock * Reactor * Eviscerator * Ace Hardlight * Gleeman Vox Weapons * Scorpion Flail *Magma Cannon * Dual Vipers * The Arbiter * B6-Obliterator * Hunter Mine Launcher * Fusion Rifle * Holoshield Launcher * Miniturret Launcher * The Harbinger Gadgets * Swingshot * Grindboots * Charge Boots * Gravity Boots Omega Mods * Acid * Shock * Freeze * Morph * Napalm * Mini-Bomb * Brainwash * Time-Bomb Alpha mods * Ammo * Aiming * Impact * Speed * Area * Jackpot * XP * Health Planets and locations * DreadZone Station * DreadZone's Battledome * Catacrom Four * Sarathos * Kronos * Shaar * Orxon * The Valix Belt * Torval * Stygia * Maraxus * Ghost Station * The Battledome Control Level Critical praise IGN Reviewer Jeremy Dunham wrote: "Though diehard Ratchet and Clank fans will probably miss the puzzle and platform elements that made the earlier games a more complete experience (this one included), the shooting mayhem of Ratchet: Deadlocked is still a whole hell of a lot of fun. Insomniac's hilarious storytelling doesn't miss a beat even when presented in this year's more limited form either, and the awesome combat sequences are marred only by occasional (but very noticeable) battle slowdown and infrequent camera issues experienced during rail grinding. Ratchet's problems are easy to live with, however, when you realize just how much the multiplayer option has to offer. Five different game types, almost a dozen varying planets, plenty of customizable options, several cool power-ups, and an excellent stat tracking system are just a few of the reasons that you and nine other friends can should enjoy your next few months via Network Adaptor. Throw in a cool co-op mode and plenty of unlockable goodies, and you don't need any other reasons to pick this one up". It is believed to be the most morally ambiguous and darkest of the original series. The weapons appear to be built in a more destructive sense, they don't have the fun like appearance which they have in the other series. Players who start playing Deadlocked as their first Ratchet & Clank game will take more time to master the other previous titles due to the analog lock-strafing capabilities. The co-op funcionalities make this game, even that the story is short, look a fantastic experience for players who like to team up with friends. Too bad that the other games don't have this funcionality Category:Ratchet & Clank series